Car-fender.



P. MOGULLOUGH.

GAR FENDER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 14, 1912.

1,071,252, Patented'Aug. 26, 1913.

PHELAM MGCULLOUGH, or snnnnnookn, QUEBEC, CANADA.

can-FENDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 26,1913.

Application filed March. 14, 1912. Serial no. 683,516.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PHELAM McCull- Louoir, of the city of Sherbrooke, in the Province of Quebec and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Fenders, and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of same. 7

This invention relates to improvements in car fenders, and particularly to that class of fenders in which the apron is lowered by a gate placed in advance of the fender com ing in contact with an obstacle on the track.

The object of the invention is to provide a fender which will be absolutely certain in operation.

A further object is to provide a gate opcrating device for the fender, so arranged that the fender will not be tripped if the rocking of the car brings the gate in contact with the track or road surface.

Still another object is to provide means for preventing an objectentering behind the gate and passing under the untripped fender, said means being also arranged to operate the gate and thus lower the fender.

A further object is to provide a fender of simple and durable construction which will operate very easily. and which may be returned to elevated position by merely lifting the same. I

To accomplish the above objects 1 provide a framework attached under the body of the car and supporting at its rear end a hinged apron, which is maintained in nornial elevated position by means of a trigger bar held by gravity against a stop. A gate is hung from the framework in front of the apron, and is provided with an arm positioned to raise the trigger bar and release the fender.

In the drawings which illustrate this invention:-Figure 1 is a. side elevation of the device attached to a car. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device.

Referring more particularly to the draw ings, 3 designates the sills of a car, f the front end bufier beam, and 5 the truck. Immediately in front of the truck, a. hanger 6 is secured to each side of the car, the lower ends of these hangers being connected by a shaft 7. To the rear of the buffer beam -1- a second hanger 8 is secured to each side of the car, this hanger being bent rearwardly a suitable distance above the track to form a horizontal guard bar 9, the ex the moving parts of the device are mounted. 1

The fender apron, designated as a whole by the numeral 10, consists of side bars ll and a central bar 11 extending parallel with the track. Toward one end these bars are doubled around the shaft] as indicated at 12, and are thenturnedat right angles to themselves to form uprightarms 13 at the rear of the apron, The vertical and horizontal sections of the bars 11 and 11 are connected by transversely extending slats 14 of suitable material to complete the apron. The portion l3' of the bar 11 is extended considerably above the back wall; as indicated at 15'. pivoted at its rear endto the extension 15 and projects forwardly close under the car body. This bar 16 is prevented from dropping on to the fender or roadway by means of a hanger 17 secured under the car body. This hanger 17 also prevents the bar 16 from dropping below the level of a trans verse bar 18 which serves asa front stop for the bar 16 and is secured between the hangers 8. Springs 19 are mounted to extend between the extensions loand suitable eyes 20 secured to the car sills; and operate in conjunction with the force of gravity to lower the fender apron when the same is released.

The gate designated as awhole by the I numeral 21, which operates to release the fender apron, consists of a plurality of trans verse slats 22 mounted on bars. 23 which hang in substantially vertical position from a shaft 2%, to which their upper ends are rigidly connected. The bars 23 are located on the forward side of the shaft 24L, which is provided with a. rea'rwardly projecting crank or arm 25. This arm 25 is designed to balance the weight of the gate over the A trigger bar 16 is the rails or road surface, and is not liable to trip the fender since if hanging in this inclined position it will move forwardly in place of rearwardly. This forward movement of the fender may be facilitated by rounding the lower ends of the bars 23, as indicated at 26. The bars 23 are each provided near their lower ends with a lug or rearwardly extending arm 27, to which a substantially horizontal bar 28 is pivoted at its forward end. The rear portion of this bar 28 is upwardly curved and is looped over the horizontal frame bar 9, the loop 29 occupying approximately the whole of the curved portion of the bar. The horizontal portion of this bar preferably hangs a short distance below the fender apron, as is clearly shown in Fig. 1.

Assuming the fender to be in its normal position, the operation of the same is as follows :TVhen the gate 21 comes in contact with an obstruction on the track, it is moved rearwardly as indicated in dotted lines. This rearward movement rotates the shaft 24 and inclines the arm 25 sufliciently to engage the trigger bar 16 and raise the front end thereof above the stop bar 18, thus releasing the fender. The springs 19 acting with the force of gravity lower the fender apron to the position shown in dotted lines, so that the front edge thereof travels on the track. It will be seen from the drawings that the adjustment of the fender is such that the fender will be released before the gate is moved sufiiciently to allow the passage of an obstruction thereunder. In this way the lowering of the fender in time to pick up the obstruction is absolutely assured for the reason that the car would require to be traveling at a speed of several hundred miles an hour, in order to move the fender forwardly over the obstruction before it would have time to drop. It is obvious that this speed is impracticable. Should the obstruction fall toward the side of the car in place of being directly in front of same, it will be prevented from passing under the car between the gate and fender by the bars 9 and 28, which form a grille inclosing this space. Should the obstruction be in the nature of a persons arm or leg, it will be prevented from being crushed against the track by the loop 29 of the bar 28, which allows the bar to rise freely. Furthermore, the dragging effect of such an obstruction on the bar 28 will draw the gate rearwardly and trip the fender so that it will scoop up the obstruction. After the fender has been tripped, all that is necessary to return it to normal position is to grasp the front edge of the apron and raise it to its original position. This will drop back the bar 16 so that it will fall by gravity into its original position behind the stop bar 18, and hold the fender in elevated position. The gate is absolutely unconnected with the fender and will not require any resetting whatever. The bars 9 and 28 form a safeguard to hold an obstruction on the apron, and prevent the same falling off at the sides and passing under the wheels of a car.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. A device of the character described comprising a frame, a fender apron pivoted at the rear of the frame, a gate pivoted at the front of the frame, and a pair of side guards pivoted to the gate, said side guards having their free ends looped on the frame to permit horizontal or vertical movement, substantially as described. i

2. A device of the character described comprising a frame, a fender apron mounted at the rear of the frame, a pivoted normally vertical gate mounted atthe front of the frame, side guards pivoted to the gate and having an upwardly curved extension connected to but vertically slidable and horizontally movable with respect to said frame, substantially as described.

3. A device of the character described comprising a frame, a fender apron mounted at the rear of the frame, a normally vertical gate mounted at the front of the frame, side guards pivoted to the gate, and means connecting said guards to the frame for al lowing said side guards to move vertically or horizontally.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

PHELAM MCCULLOUGH. lVitnesses STUART R. XV. ALLEN, G. M. MORELAND.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

